Chelsea's inability to lure a deadly striker in the last transfer window has complicated their quest for honours but here the two players they did sign in January were instrumental in sending José Mourinho's team back to the top of the Premier League. Nemanja Matic bestrode midfield with mighty authority while Mohamed Salah marked his first start by scoring a goal and creating another. Ultimately the destiny of the title could be determined by how often other Chelsea players can compensate for their forwards' bluntness.

Fernando Torres started up front against Stoke after being omitted from the midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain but his performance was hardly sufficient to convince Chelsea not to spend heavily on a new forward in the summer. The more immediate matter for Mourinho here, of course, was to get his team back to winning ways after three defeats in their past five matches.

Having spent most of the season talking down his team's chances of winning the title, the manager seemed to realise that a new psychological ploy was required, so railed against negativity before the visit of Mark Hughes's men, who arrived in buoyant mood having won four of their past five games to banish relegation fears.

Stoke made a vibrant start but Chelsea, accused by Mourinho of being too timid during last week's defeat at Crystal Palace, were not prepared to be pushed around on their own patch and soon took control. Torres was given the game's first chance when, in the third minute, Willian won possession in midfield and threaded an inviting ball through to the forward. Alas, the Spaniard no longer has the pace that he used to and was nudged off the ball by Marc Wilson before Asmir Begovic tidied up. The muscularity of the general play was not matched by the finishing, which was feeble by both sides early on. Torres was presented with another opening in the ninth minute when Matic nicked the ball to him after Chelsea's high pressing had again forced Stoke to cough up possession, but the Spaniard's 20-yard shot hurtled wide.

André Schürrle was guilty of a particularly lame finish moments later, offering Begovic an easy save after being put through. Then Branislav Ivanovic nodded a weak effort wide from a corner.

Peter Odemwingie fired off Stoke's first shot from long range in the 13th minute but that, too, was soft and posed no problem for Petr Cech.

Begovic had to be more sprightly in the 18th minute to turn away a curling effort from the edge of the area by Willian. Chelsea were now well on top – all they were missing was a cutting edge. Wilson almost gifted them a way through when he negligently chested a cross into the path of Torres, but Begovic hurled himself at the striker's feet to smother the danger.

Stoke's resistance eventually gave way. After a throw-in on the left in the 32nd minute, Matic shrugged off Odemwingie and banged a low ball across the face of goal to Salah, who lashed it into the net from 15 yards.

Hughes introduced two substitutes for the second half and one of them, Charlie Adam, was quick to make an impact – on Schürrle's foot. The midfielder, making his first appearance since being banned for stamping on the Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, caught the German with a late tackle.

Schürrle was not seriously injured but was soon replaced by Eden Hazard anyway as Mourinho sought the killer goal. The Belgian immediately showed Adam how to make the right sort of impact, artfully rolling the ball into the path of Salah, who was chopped down by Andy Wilkinson. Begovic saved Frank Lampard's penalty but not the rebound.

Chelsea beat Liverpool to the signing of Salah from Basel in January thanks to the money they generated from the sale of Juan Mata, and that could yet have ramifications for the title. "We sold a great player who was in the best moment of his career and bought a kid from a different habitat," Mourinho said. "An Egyptian playing in Switzerland, we knew it would take time for him to adapt. But already you can see the connection between him and the crowd. They like him."

His connection with his team-mates was obvious too. With Matic laying a solid platform, Salah, Willian and Hazard darted around in all directions and at times Stoke seemed caught in a whirlwind. Willian eventually blew them away, curling a sumptuous shot beyond Begovic from the edge of the area in the 72nd minute.

With his side back on top of the league, Mourinho reverted to talking down his team's chances of staying there. "The table is again fake," he said, insisting the fact that Liverpool and Manchester City have games in hands means they still have the advantage.